Episode 5: “So, I’ve figured out the Drama Club’s scheme…”
Ever since Akira had watched that DVD from Takeru-san, her condition had been steadily improving day by day.
During our morning runs, she could now complete a full thirty minutes without stopping, even while out of breath. The fruit of her daily efforts was showing—her stamina had genuinely built up. In the standing rehearsals that began on Monday, she could recite lines from the opening through the middle sections without barely glancing at her script.
Even during breaks, she’d stare intently at the pages, deep in thought—or so I’d assumed. But then she’d start scribbling notes in red pen all over the margins. That’s when Nishiyama and Ito approached her with bright expressions.
“Akira-chan, you’ve improved so much since last week! We can’t let ourselves fall behind!” Nishiyama exclaimed.
“You’re amazing, Akira-chan! Memorizing lines in such a short time!” Ito added enthusiastically.
“Nah, I’m still not there yet~…” Akira looked embarrassed as they praised her, but I could see the pleased flush on her cheeks.
Must be because she’s Takeru-san’s daughter. Akira possessed some hidden talent, and her growth was astonishing even to those around her. Well, she’s got different genes from me. Mendel’s laws, I suppose…
While mulling over that thought, I watched Akira and the others from a distance when Hinata approached me with a curious expression.
“Akira’s really something! Did you give her some advice, Ryouta-senpai?”
“Not really. She learned those techniques from her dad.”
“Akira’s dad?” Hinata’s eyes widened with genuine surprise.
“Himeno Takeru, the actor. You haven’t heard about him from Akira?”
“First I’ve heard of it! So Akira’s dad is an actor~”
Apparently, it hadn’t come up even among close friends. That made sense, really. If she doesn’t bring it up herself, it would be awkward to pry into family matters—and for some people, it’s a topic they’d rather not be asked about.
After all, I hadn’t known what kind of person Takeru-san was until I heard stories from my old man and Miyuki-san, or until I’d grabbed him by the collar that day.
“Have you met Akira’s dad, senpai?”
“Twice. I actually messed up our first meeting pretty badly, but the second time we talked properly.”
“I see…” Hinata’s face darkened slightly, a shadow passing over her features.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. I just thought Akira’s a bit enviable, that’s all.”
“Enviable? How so?”
“Even after her parents separated, she still gets to see her dad regularly. And she’s always got you nearby, Ryouta-senpai.”
“Seeing her dad is great, but why would it be enviable that I’m around?”
Hinata’s expression grew a touch lonely. “I can’t help comparing you to my brother. If only he were as kind as you, senpai…”
“Ahaha… Setting aside whether I’m actually kind or not, I think I get what you mean.” Kousei was probably all grumpy at home too, wasn’t he?
“He’s always sulking, and I have no idea what he’s thinking…”
“Well, I’ve known him for a while, but I still don’t understand what goes through his head half the time.”
“Right~…”
“But he’s not a bad guy. I’m sure he’s thinking about you in his own way, Hinata-chan.”
“You really think so?”
“Yeah, definitely.”
As we continued talking, Akira came running over with a bright expression lighting up her face.
“Aniki, Hinata-chan!”
“Akira, good work out there.”
“Hinata-chan’s scene is up next.”
“Yeah, thanks for letting me know.” Hinata gripped her script tightly and headed back toward Nishiyama and the others.
“You holding up okay, Akira?”
“Phew~… The lines are a lot to handle, it’s tough. But I’m better than before, right?”
“Yeah, you’re doing great. I was watching, and it’s way better than last week.”
“R-Really? Ehehehe♪” Wiping sweat from her forehead with a towel, Akira smiled happily. Seeing her like that made me happy too. I’d only witnessed expressions like this at home, so this was my first time watching her act so cheerfully in public.
“By the way, what were you and Hinata-chan talking about?”
“How amazing you are, and about Takeru-san.”
“About my dad?”
“You hadn’t mentioned him to Hinata-chan?”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right.”
“Sorry. I assumed you had and just brought it up…”
“Huh? It’s totally fine. I wasn’t hiding it or anything, just hadn’t found the right opportunity.”
“Okay, good then.”
My relief was short-lived as Akira scooted closer with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “By the way, Aniki…”
“W-What?”
“You and Hinata-chan seemed pretty cozy just now, didn’t you?”
“How do you even interpret our conversation that way? It was perfectly normal.”
“Really? You’re so dense, Aniki—you wouldn’t notice anyway~…”
“Like I keep telling you, it’s not like that with Hinata-chan…”
Sighing, I glanced over at Hinata, who was now in the middle of her rehearsal. Nishiyama was playing Friar Laurence, and as expected from someone leading the drama club, her performance was genuinely impressive. Hinata was holding her own remarkably well too. Even with over half a year away from acting, she still had that main-role quality about her.
“Those two are really skilled.”
“Yeah, experience shows.”
“I need to practice even more…”
“That’s the spirit. Hey Akira, can I take a look at your script?”
“Huh? Sure—here you go.”
Taking the script from Akira, I immediately noticed sticky notes scattered throughout. Flipping through the pages, I found them covered in red pen annotations—
“Akira, this is…”
“Hm? What about it?”
“It’s not just Romeo’s lines—you’ve got notes for all the other characters too. Every single one?”
“Oh, yeah. I just did what Dad told me to do…”
To my amazement, Akira’s script contained detailed movement notes for characters besides Romeo. Emotional subtleties were crammed into every available margin space.
“Wasn’t this incredibly difficult?”
“It was, but… it helped me see the whole stage clearly.”
“See it?”
“Before, I was just desperately trying to memorize Romeo’s lines. But to understand Romeo’s feelings properly, I wanted to know what everyone else was feeling too—”
Akira held out her hand, so I returned the script to her.
“—Then I couldn’t stop myself. I wanted to understand more, to know everyone’s feelings deeply.”
“I see…”
Watching Akira hug the script tenderly to her chest, I felt my lips curve into a smile without realizing it.
“And I really love the drama club here.”
“Huh?”
“Kazusa-chan, Amane-chan, Saya-chan, Riho-chan, Yuzu-chan… Hinata-chan too. I love this place with everyone in it.”
Akira narrowed her eyes fondly, gazing at the members who were still practicing with dedication.
“Yeah… You’ve really changed, Akira. I think it’s a wonderful change.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You’ve genuinely transformed.”
Akira gave a wry smile at that. “If I’ve changed, it’s all thanks to my sadistic Aniki. No mercy from morning until night…”
“That was just the beginning. I haven’t even gotten serious yet.”
“Ugh~… Any more than this and my body won’t be able to handle it~…”
As Akira and I continued our playful banter, Ito’s face turned bright red beside us for some inexplicable reason.
“What’s wrong, Ito-san?”
“Uh…!? N-Nothing at all!”
“…At all? Hey, Ito-sa—”
Before I could finish, Ito scampered out of the clubroom like a startled rabbit.
What was that about? Akira and I stared at the door, where Ito had just disappeared, both of us equally puzzled.
＊ ＊ ＊
That night, after Akira finished her weight training routine, we began our usual line practice. But at one particular scene, she let out a frustrated groan.
“What’s bothering you?”
“This scene is still giving me trouble…”
What Akira was referring to was the final scene—the kiss scene.
“Well, when you’re practicing at school, it should be manageable, right?”
“Yeah, but I still don’t really understand the emotions behind it…”
“You’ll figure it out. Come on, it’s time for bed. Good night~”
I tried to urge Akira toward sleep, but she fixed me with a suspicious look that made me nervous.
“W-What is it?”
“Aniki, you’re deliberately avoiding this, aren’t you?”
“Avoiding what…?”
“The kiss scene practice—you’re running away from it, right?”
She’d seen right through my intentional avoidance. Damn.
“Aniki, are you embarrassed?”
“No, not exactly—”
Honestly? Yeah, I was embarrassed. Or rather, it felt incredibly awkward. It’s a kiss scene, even if it’s just practice. Anyone would want to skip over something like that…
“This is a perfect opportunity—let’s practice it properly.”
“No way. Good kids should be sleeping by now. It’s eleven o’clock? We have morning training tomorrow—”
“It’s the big climax in the second half. Come on, Aniki~”
“Tch…!”
She was right—it was an important scene. But the real issue was that my practice partner was Akira, which made me want to avoid it at all costs. Practicing romantic scenes between a guy and girl was awkward enough, but especially with Akira involved.
“Let’s do it right now.”
“No, no, no, wait. There’s no point practicing with me, right? You should do it with Hinata-chan instead.”
“In this scene, Romeo kisses Juliet while she’s in feigned death, so you just need to close your eyes, Aniki.”
That wasn’t the point at all.
Was this really just practice? Actually just practice? Looking at Akira’s face, I couldn’t detect any joking or teasing. It seemed purely for practice purposes, with no sign of the ulterior motives I was worried about.
Realizing I was probably overthinking things, I sighed and said, “Fine,” agreeing to help. Akira instructed me to lie down on the bed.
I lay down as told, my heart starting to pound despite telling myself this was just practice.
“Here I go.”
“Yeah, bring it on.”
Peeking through barely-open eyes, I mentally reviewed the lines Akira would be delivering. The scene flow went like this: Juliet drinks the potion from Friar Laurence to feign death, making everyone believe she’s actually dead when she isn’t. But Romeo, unaware of the plan, believes she’s truly died and grieves—
“—Ah, Juliet… Are you really dead? If only I could hear your gentle voice one more time… Why did you rush toward death? Why did you leave me behind?”
I was impressed by how much her delivery had improved, but then my shoulders were gripped firmly.
“You really do have such a beautiful face.”
An absolutely forbidden phrase for me came out of Akira’s mouth.
“Fgh!”
I accidentally opened my eyes wide.
“Hey Aniki, why did you wake up!”
Akira scolded me, but please spare me from that particular line. It reminded me of when I’d messed up with Akira before—
‘You really do have a beautiful face, don’t you?’
No, the situation was different now, but it still brought back those mortifying memories. Mistaking her for a boy back then—the shame still made me want to crawl into a hole.
“Sorry, it’s just…”
“Jeez, what was that about? Let’s restart from the middle. Close your eyes properly this time.”
“Yeah, okay…”
Akira gripped my shoulders again and resumed with “You really do have such a beautiful face.”
“—You look so peaceful in your sleep. That pure face, those soft cheeks, those lovely lips… And these eyes—ah, these eyes are tightly shut, never to open and smile at me again…—”
The lines continued as I waited awkwardly for them to end.
“—Rather than endure this pain and shame while living, it would be better to abandon this world and join you in that bright heavenly realm… Juliet, wait for me—I’ll be there soon—”
My vision gradually darkened as her bangs brushed against my cheek. I could feel Akira’s warmth approaching closer and closer.
Closer… closer… closer… This was getting pretty close now, wasn’t it?
Wait a minute. That should be enough, right? Any closer would be seriously problematic. Just a few more centimeters and—
“—Hey!”
I panicked, grabbed Akira’s shoulders, and pushed her back.
“Kyaa! Why so suddenly?”
“Your face was way too close! Were you actually going to go through with it?!”
“B-But it’s just practice!”
“Even so, that was far too close! Close enough to make the audience think ‘Did they actually kiss?’ is perfectly fine!”
“But Kazusa-chan told me to push the limits even further. She even said to go all the way… Though I wouldn’t actually do that~…”
“That troublemaker…”
Even for practice, this was way too intense. Akira seemed convinced this was normal procedure, but I wasn’t fooled. Lately, I’d begun to realize that Nishiyama had some sort of ulterior motive.
It felt like there were too many hugging scenes between Akira and Hinata, and this over-the-top direction for the kiss scene… I’d suspected it before, but this was getting serious.
This situation definitely called for a direct conversation.
＊ ＊ ＊
During the next day’s lunch break, I went to the first-year classroom and essentially dragged Nishiyama out with me. We headed to the drama clubroom, where I’d decided to confront her about my suspicions.
“Nishiyama, about Akira and Hinata…”
“Oh, those two? Aren’t they just the perfect couple?”
“About that—those two are getting a bit too… intimate, don’t you think?”
“Too intimate? What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, too intimate is too intimate…”
As I struggled to articulate my concerns, Nishiyama said, “Ah,” as if she’d suddenly understood.
“You’re talking about the hugging scenes and the kiss scene?”
“Exactly. I’m not saying those elements should be completely removed, but isn’t this a bit excessive?”
“Hmm… I actually think even more intensity would be better…”
“No way. This is high school theater, right? There’s no need to go that far, is there?”
“High schoolers doing theater…?”
Nishiyama looked somewhat offended by my phrasing.
“Are you saying this is just some amateur high school production, senpai?”
“No, I didn’t mean to go that far with it.”
Nishiyama had reacted more strongly than I’d expected, leaving me a bit taken aback.
“I just think it’s problematic if things go too far—”
“It might seem that way to you, senpai, but I absolutely hate anything that feels half-hearted or sloppy.”
“Do you know the concept of ‘moderation’? It’s from Confucius—the idea that balance in all things is best. ‘Half-hearted’ can actually mean ‘just the right amount,’ and ‘sloppy’ can mean ‘appropriately restrained’—”
“Only the people involved are satisfied with moderation, right? The audience is completely different. They won’t be happy unless you either meet their expectations or exceed them entirely.”
I see. So that was the aspect Nishiyama was fixated on.
“So you’re saying it’s better to go overboard with the direction than to bore the audience with lukewarm performances?”
“I don’t plan on being stubborn about it, but if you’re going to put it that way, then yes.”
“But the ones actually performing aren’t regular theater club members—it’s Akira and Hinata-chan.”
“Why do you separate those two from the theater club? Aren’t they all comrades working on the same production?”
“If you want to call them comrades, that’s true enough. But there’s a difference in their positions. Even if you group them together as comrades, I think you’re dragging those two too deeply into the theater club’s internal issues.”
“The theater club’s issues?”
“Yeah. It’s about time you came clean. Why did you approach those two in the first place?”
I’d suspected from the beginning that inviting those two non-members to participate in this play had some ulterior motive behind it. Might as well clear the air now.
“You’re using those two to achieve some specific goal, aren’t you?”
“Using them? A goal?”
“Otherwise, you could have chosen something other than ‘Romeo and Juliet’ from the start, right? I heard from Ito-san that you’ve done reading plays before, so you could have stuck with something the club could handle internally.”
“Well…”
“Those two—and this feels weird to say as family—but they have genuine charisma. To put it bluntly, I think they’re both beautiful girls. Casting those two beauties as the leads… I can’t help but think there’s some calculated intention behind it.”
Nishiyama listened quietly to everything I said, then let out a long “Haa~” sigh.
“…I surrender. Fine, I’ll tell you everything, but just you, senpai.”
She seemed somewhat resigned as she spoke.
“Did you hear that the theater club was revived this year?”
“Vaguely, from Akira—”
“It’s scheduled to be disbanded by the end of the year.”
“What…?”
I was involuntarily surprised, but Nishiyama just gently narrowed her eyes with a sad expression.
“You’re joking, right?”
“No, it’s completely true. Amane and the other members are also aware of it. We were planning to keep it secret from you, senpai, and from Akira-chan and the others so we wouldn’t worry them unnecessarily, but…”
“So that’s the real situation…”
“That said, it’s only disbanded if we don’t meet certain conditions, so we’ve been desperately pleading with our advisor to let us continue this far.”
“Conditions? Like maintaining a minimum of five members or something?”
“No—achievements.”
“Achievements… Like competing in tournaments or winning awards?”
“Tournaments are part of it, but there’s also an evaluation to determine if we’re functioning properly as a club. Our club is currently under scrutiny from the faculty.”
“Why? Aren’t you all working incredibly hard right now?”
Ito and the other members had been practicing more diligently than I’d initially thought. I’d assumed the club’s overall motivation was quite high…
“Until Akira-chan and the others joined us, we were doing exactly what Amane mentioned—just internal reading plays and watching theater videos. We’d talk about wanting to do something big someday…”
Nishiyama spoke with a nostalgic tone, then quickly gave an awkward, bitter smile.
“So that’s how things were…”
“Then, in the second semester, there was a student council budget meeting where discussions came up about either demoting clubs without significant achievements to circle status or disbanding them entirely.”
Budget cuts and cost-cutting measures, huh.
“Even so, the student council members are supportive and trying to convince the teachers to preserve the theater club, but apparently, the faculty said we need to accomplish something substantial like this production, or it would be difficult to justify…”
That explains the choice of ‘Romeo and Juliet.’
“What does your advisor say about all this?”
“The teacher who served as advisor until last year was transferred. Our current advisor, Ishizuka-sensei, also handles the badminton club and isn’t particularly interested in theater…”
So that’s why the advisor never showed up. Problems just kept piling up…
“Then wouldn’t it be fine to continue as a circle? Even without a budget, you could still gather occasionally and do activities…”
“That’s the thing—it doesn’t work that way. Circles don’t receive budgets, and they don’t get dedicated clubrooms either.”
“Meaning you’d have to vacate this space?”
“Exactly…”
Nishiyama looked around the clubroom, her expression tinged with sorrow.
“It’s only been half a year, but for me and Amane and the others, this place is filled with precious memories…”
Hearing Nishiyama’s story left me with an indescribable feeling. It would be presumptuous for me to claim I understood the emotions Nishiyama and Ito had invested in this place.
After all, I was just tagging along because of Akira, so I shouldn’t casually nod along to the memories and feelings they’d built over these six months.
Still, Nishiyama’s desperate desire to protect the theater club she cherished came through with painful clarity.
“The club’s survival prospects… honestly, they’re looking really grim. But I thought if we could leave behind some concrete achievements, we might be able to continue as an official club. So I was betting everything on this Kanon Festival performance. It’s probably our last chance this year.”
“So that’s why you invited Akira and Hinata-chan…”
“But I never intended to simply use them! I’ve recognized Hinata-chan as genuinely talented since middle school, so I really wanted her to join us!”
Well, in Hinata’s case, she had experience, natural ability, and a strong work ethic, so that reasoning made perfect sense.
“What about Akira?”
“This is just my intuition rather than a concrete reason, but—”
Nishiyama paused to consider her words carefully.
“—Before inviting her to join the theater club, I had a conversation with Akira-chan. That’s when I realized she possesses remarkable imagination and sensitivity.”
“Imagination and sensitivity?”
“Akira-chan is quite shy around people, but she’s surprisingly perceptive when it comes to reading emotions. Understanding others, or perhaps over-understanding them…”
That explanation resonated with me. Akira was extraordinarily skilled at gauging the appropriate distance to maintain with me.
In fact, while I’d been troubled by the complex dynamic between us, even when she pushed boundaries a bit too far, she never forced anything I truly despised.
This might sound strange, but I found myself unable to genuinely dislike Akira. Even when I felt flustered, I’d gradually fallen completely into her rhythm.
If that connected to Akira’s sensitivity and imagination, I could understand Nishiyama’s perspective.
She read my emotions, imagined their depths, and measured exactly how much I could tolerate. Of course, I doubted she calculated any of this consciously.
“Plus, Akira-chan is the type who works incredibly hard. She has the honesty to tackle anything steadily and earnestly.”
“Well, I’ve witnessed that dedication up close, so I definitely understand.”
“How do you feel about Akira-chan’s recent growth, senpai?”
“Well, yeah… with all that effort she’s putting in, she’s become reasonably skilled, hasn’t she?”
“Normally, kids who are new to theater are much more hesitant and uncertain. Her growth rate is abnormal. It’s like she embodies the role completely, or the character’s personality actually possesses her…”
Sensitivity and imagination—on the flip side, those qualities might explain why Akira was so shy around others.
When interacting with people, Akira probably picked up on subtle cues that others wouldn’t even notice.
“So I decided to invite Akira-chan, and it seems my instincts were correct. But like you pointed out, Majima-senpai, I might have gotten carried away…”
“Huh?”
“Akira-chan and Hinata-chan are both so amazing, and theater is so incredibly fun that I got completely swept up in the excitement. I regret that now. I’m sorry.”
Nishiyama said this and bowed her head deeply.
“Uh, ah, no… I’m the one who should apologize for suspecting you without understanding the full situation…”
I reflexively bowed back in response. I deeply regretted my unfounded suspicions.
It wasn’t about exploiting Akira or Hinata—she had simply sought their cooperation. If anything, Nishiyama had recognized Akira’s potential talent. I’d been so focused on protecting Akira that I’d lost sight of the bigger picture…
I realized once again that I tended to get overly emotional when it came to Akira—that was definitely my weakness.
At the same time, I found myself growing genuinely interested in the theater club itself. I wanted to support Akira wholeheartedly. To do that effectively, maybe I needed to learn more about theater from Nishiyama and the others.
This place where Akira could now comfortably express herself outside of home, the place she said she genuinely loved—if that was this theater club, then I wanted to protect it too.
To nurture the strengths in Akira that Nishiyama had discovered, this environment might be absolutely essential.
As I was thinking along these lines, Nishiyama suddenly smiled with a bittersweet expression.
“But you know, senpai… Actually, I’m already kind of satisfied with how things have turned out.”
“Huh?”
“We finally got to do something that felt like real theater club activities together. Anything more than this feels like pure luxury…”
Nishiyama smiled as if resigned to her fate, looking somehow distant and terribly small—completely unlike her usual confident self.
“That’s not true, is it? Saying you’re satisfied when everything isn’t even over yet…”
Unable to bear seeing her like that, I spoke gently, but Nishiyama’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
“Senpai…”
“So from now on, together with everyone—”
“What I’m about to tell you, please keep it absolutely secret. I’m only sharing this because it’s you, senpai…”
“Huh?”
“I haven’t told Amane and the others yet—”
Then, with an awkward smile that broke my heart,
“—After this Kanon Festival ends, I’m moving away.”
Nishiyama let a single tear fall down her cheek.
＊ ＊ ＊
That afternoon after school, I arrived at the theater clubroom a bit later than usual.
“Aniki, you’re running late today, aren’t you?”
“Ryouta-senpai, did something happen?”
As the two who had already started their preparations looked at me with puzzled expressions, I headed straight toward Nishiyama.
“Majima-senpai? Do you need something from me?”
“I have something to give you—”
“What is it?”
Instead of explaining verbally, I placed a sheet of paper on the table first.
“…!? Senpai, this is…”
Nishiyama’s eyes widened in shock.
Akira, Hinata, and the other members were stunned when they saw the paper I’d set down. Because—
“It’s a club application form. I’m joining the theater club too.”
—Because that’s what I’d decided to do.
“Senpai, why would you…? No, this is just out of pity for me—”
“No, this is a declaration of intent.”
Nishiyama’s eyes grew moist, but since we shouldn’t discuss the deeper details here yet, I cut her off before she could continue.
“For the sake of Hinata-chan, Nishiyama, Ito-san, and everyone else who’s been supporting Akira, I want to work seriously toward making this performance a genuine success too.”
Honestly, I’d been deeply influenced by Nishiyama’s passionate feelings as well. She was desperately fighting to protect something precious to her. That emotion was identical to my desire to protect Akira, and I empathized with it completely.
I’d probably do anything to protect Akira—I could do anything necessary. Of course, what I wanted to accomplish this time was still fundamentally about supporting Akira.
To help Akira shine even more brilliantly on stage, I wanted to get seriously committed for her sake. But I’d been focusing solely on Akira while missing everything else around her.
I’d been seeing the trees but not the forest—completely losing sight of the bigger picture.
Even if everyone’s individual feelings toward this performance differed, our ultimate goal was the same: its success. And I believed this performance’s success would be the opportunity for Akira to truly transform herself.
By extension, for Nishiyama who had discovered Akira’s hidden strengths, for the other members working so hard alongside her, and for Hinata—I wanted to ensure this performance succeeded no matter what obstacles we faced.
I looked at Akira, whose eyes had grown wide with surprise.
This place where Akira felt safe and comfortable, the place she said she genuinely loved—I wanted to protect it too.
“So this is my way of showing resolve. My method of demonstrating genuine commitment.”
That’s why I’d decided to join the club officially.
＊ ＊ ＊
On the way home that day, Akira walking beside me wore a strangely complicated expression.
“Aniki, about you suddenly joining the club…”
“What about it?”
“I was wondering why you went to such lengths.”
“Like I explained back there, it’s a declaration of intent. To show that I’m completely serious about this.”
“If it’s just about showing intent, you didn’t really need to join officially, did you?”
“Ah, actually…”
I figured I shouldn’t tell Akira about the club’s precarious situation just yet, so I decided to share the other reason that had motivated me.
“Simply put, I realized I need to change myself.”
“Change? Why do you want to change, Aniki?”
“Because of you, Akira.”
“Because of me?”
“I think you’ve genuinely transformed over these past few days. I probably felt like I was being left behind.”
“Have I really changed that much?”
“Yeah, absolutely. You’ve gained so much more confidence, and above all, seeing you enjoy acting with everyone makes me incredibly happy too.”
Akira looked down bashfully, murmuring, “You really think so?”
“But if things continue like this, as your brother… no, I’d feel pathetic about myself.”
“That’s not true at all! It’s because you were there for me, Aniki, that I—”
“No, I’ve actually been running away from things constantly. What might seem like kindness is really just indecisiveness. What appears reliable is actually fear—fear that you won’t need to depend on me anymore. Like I’d end up completely alone…”
“Aniki…”
I gently placed my hand on Akira’s head, feeling the softness of her hair.
“So Akira, I’m going to change too. For your sake.”
Akira’s face flushed bright red, her eyes widening with emotion.
After that, until we got home, Akira stayed completely silent, but it felt somehow different from her usual ‘borrowed cat mode.’
